Wings of Freedom: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 10, 2007

The first B-17 flew in 1935, and the model was formally introduced in 1938. After the United States entered World War II, B-17s were mass produced in large numbers, with over 12,000 being built, not only by Boeing, but also under license by other builders. The B-17 was used in all WWII theatres, but they were most widely used, and best known, for their bombing runs over Germany in the European Theatre.

Though the B-17 was a Boeing design, this plane was built under license at the Douglas Aircraft Company's factory in Long Beach, California. This B-17 was built near the end of World War II, completed near the end of production, and thus never saw combat before the war ended. However, it served in peacetime as a rescue and transport plane, and was used in 1952 for testing to determine the effects of nuclear explosions. After "cooling down" for 13 years, it was sold for use as a fire bomber, a service it continued in for 20 years. The Collings Foundation purchased it in 1986 and restored it as the Nine-O-Nine, a celebrated B-17 that saw extensive service in the European Theatre, making 18 bombing runs on Berlin, and survived the war, but was scrapped.

First, here are some photos of the exterior:

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17G at Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007

B-17 Flying Fortress Links
B-17 Flying Fortress at Wikipedia
B-17 Queen of the Sky
We Get Our Feet Wet at Bob Baxter's Bomber Command, one of a number of memoirs of World War II bomber crewmembers. This particular one includes a diagram of the B-17 crew positions.

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